Egypt announced on Monday that Qatar’s ambassador to Cairo had 48 hours to leave the country following a decision earlier in the day to sever ties with the Gulf state, state news agency MENA reported.

Egypt said it was cutting ties with Qatar due to its insistence on “supporting terrorist organizations” and meddling in Egypt’s internal affairs.

Meanwhile, Egypt informed its charge d’affaires in Doha that he should return to Cairo within the next 48 hours.

The decision to cut ties with Qatar followed a move on the part of Bahrain to sever diplomatic and transport links with the Gulf state. This in turn prompted similar actions on the part of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Yemen and the eastern-based government of Libya.

All of the governments said that their decision was based on Qatar’s ongoing support for terrorist organisations such as Daesh and Al-Qaeda, as well as interference in the internal affairs of nations in the region.

Egypt said it took the decision “in light of the continued insistence of the Qatari government to take a stance against Egypt.”

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